I have had my Outback for a couple of years now and have had lots of fun, covered some distance and caught a goodly amount of fish. Feels like time for a change though. I was at a NZ Kayak Fishing Forum meet in the weekend and was fishing some offshore islands, not a huge distance offshore, when the wind got up and I had to peddle back to land. It was the good old Outback slap bang all the way. I never for a moment was worried about getting back and was no where near as tired as some of the paddlers who had the same trip back! But I did wonder if the Outback was better suited for flatter more protectred waters, not for the first time.

The upshot of this was I stopped at the Hobie dealers on my way home and had a good look at the Revo and the Adventure - at this point I might add I have no interest in either the AI or the Pro Angler they are just look too big and complicated for me. The dealer only allows demos on the local lake, not the ocean just down the road and charges $100 for the privilege, refundable on purchase!

I would be interested in others experiences with these 2 yaks, I am leaning towards the Revo for the following reasons,Easier to move around and load on my car, the handles are at the centre point of balance unlike the Outback or the AdventureIt would fit length ways in my shed, (the Adventure may be a tad long)I imagine it has a tighter turning circle, which would suit some of the places I fishThe front hatch is accessable from the cockpit unlike the Adventure.Looks pretty stableThey both have the side pockets, the pocket in the Outback constantly gets wet from the drive so has limited storage applications

It would seem the Adventure is the go to yak for distance and ocean goingIt has 2 drink holders - don't laugh they are great places to put jig heads, lures etc once you've used em and don't want to put them back in your tackle box where they'll get everything else wet and salty.The Adventure has a bigger rear well and more area for rigging accessories around the mast mount - like I said I have no intention of going the AI route.

Bottom line is I want a yak that can handle open ocean conditions and windy lakes. Take a look at NZ on a map, we are at the bottom of the Pacific and get a lot of wind and surf. The Outback is amazingly seaworthy and has never given me cause for concern, I guess I would like to try something new and get away from the dreaded hull slap. I am 5'10" 210lb and 59 years old. I enjoy lure fishing and aren't above soaking a bait when I am out chasing a meal, I also love exploring the coast line or some of our more remote lakes - actually NZ is a kayakers paradise. Any thoughts would be appreciated - no doubt I will probably want another kayak in a few more years

Well that is not entirely correct. I have no trouble getting things in the front hatch in my Adventure kayak. But I don't use area around the mast mount for rigging accessories. And I have no experience of how convinient the Revo is in this matter.

I have an Adventure & and AI and I am very pleased with them and like you I started on an Outback.

I would be very surprised if you were not very pleased indeed with the performance of either of these newer models compared with your Outback (I certainly was when I traded up to the A).

I have never been on a Revo but I hear good things and it strikes me that it is probably a pretty good fit to you given the list of requirements you have set out, particularly w.r.t. the length of your garage. I hear that the Revo is almost as fast as the Adventure and I believe it has a somewhat higher and drier ride than the Adventure - you and I are not dissimilar size weight & age and I can vouch for the fact that you get a wet behind in the Adventure and quite a lot of slop over the gunwales in Hauraki Gulf & general NZ conditions.

One area in which the Adventure will exceed the Revo is in sailing - largely because of the daggerboard - but if you are not a sailor, don't plan to be and/or don't want to spend the money on mast, sail AND daggerboard AND larger rudder (the latter two being "must have" sailing accessories) as well as your Adventure then this will make little difference. (Personally I think sailing is one of THE best things about these boats but "each to their own"!).

As to your dealer's $100 charge - dunno if you are, but any time you are in Auckland and want to have a free SEA trial on one of my Adventures (with or without sail & daggerboard) let me know - I have a "pass" this week and the weather's looking good ! I am just across the bridge on the North Shore side - very close to Auckland's (and possibly NZ's only) dealer and the beach.

Hi Stobbo - I was up the road from you - Martin's Bay. We were over by Kawau when that strong Nor Wester got up on Saturday, no major swell just a nasty chop and tidal rip. The dealer is the guys on Barry's Point Road who took over from Boat Bits. The owner is an Olympic Sailor and knows very little about kayaks and is spending much of his time away sailing. I'm afraid I will probably be waiting until I visit my daughters in Australia to buy any Hobie bits and pieces. I'm down in Hamilton but may well take you up on your generous offer at some stage - pretty busy until after Easter.

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I would recommend that you find another dealer, even if you have to drive some distance.

dregsfan this would involve a drive to Australia and I'm not sure the Mazda is up to it We only have one dealer in NZ!

I will try putting a water container in the bow, makes the sense! The only problem I could see is if the weight shifted, certainly worth thinking about though.

I have some experience with the outback and the adventure and I can tell you that both are great for fishing. The outback is an excellent fishing platform and is very stable. On windy/wavy days I notice I still stay high and dry, except for the spray that can come up from all the pounding. The adventure and revo are also great fishing platforms too. If I want to go long distances, I almost always use my adventure with a set of turbos. It's smooth and fast. The adventure is a much wetter experience though as the yak tends to cut through the waves more than the outback. This causes big waves to roll over the yak at times and I always end up sitting in water (pulling out the drain plugs help). The adventure is less stable than the outback, but still not much of an issue compared to some of the ocean yaks I've been in. If I were looking for a new boat, I would look at the revo. I struggle lifting both the adventure and the outback, so it's all about the weight. I don't have a revo but sometimes after lugging my AI or outback in and out of the water, I would love to use something lighter.

Thought you might be Hamilton based - the offer of a shot in my A is still there - I only live a mile or so from Watershed(BoatBits).

I agree that having only the one dealer in NZ is a bit of a limitation to say the least however, unless you are in Oz buying through them will most likely be more convenient & cheaper! I definitely wouldn't think of going down the personal importation path - I did this with another type of boat and the costs are considerable and quite difficult to nail down.

As to the relevance of a demo on Lake Pupuke - actually I think it will be informative! You see, all the boats are able to handle the kind of sea state and other weather conditions that the 'normal' recreational user would want to be going out in. The difference between the OB and either the A or the Revo will probably feel quite significant in terms of speed and glide. The differences between the A and the Revo on the water are likely to feel relatively minor in comparison: one may be a drier or wetter ride, another may be slightly faster etc, but none of them will be more tippy than the others to the point of being dangerous in normal conditions on the sea.

Therefore what a lake demo will answer for you are questions like "do I fit in the cockpit & do I get a wet backside?", "how well does the boat hold a line & what's its turning circle?", "how fast is it compared with my OB?" and "how tippy is it/does it feel by comparison with my OB?"... these are the questions that you need to answer to determine whether or not the boat you are trying provides a significant improvement over your OB to warrant the cost of the upgrade.

I think if you were to demo either the Revo or the A (but preferably both) against your OB you will notice the difference (improvement) instantly - and if that's the case then you are going to end up buying from the sole dealer anyway so your $100 is not wasted !

Once you have got over that hurdle you can probably ascertain from this forum and other sources which boat to go for because they are all more or less capable of coping with the conditions you will most likely encounter (assuming that you are not seeking to push the limits of kayaking on the thing) and because your decision is probably going to be made for you through considerations like length, weight and cockpit layout more than minor differences between the Revo and the Adventure in speed, dampness of ride and perceived stability.

To give you some ideas: I think you will find both A and Revo faster than the OB with the A having a slight edge in terms of speed. The Revo will probably feel more like the OB in terms of seating position and stability (I used to fish in shorts in my OB - never in the A where swimming shorts/neoprene shorts are the order of the day). The Revo will probably have the edge in terms of manoeuvrability because of its shorter length - the Adventure really needs the larger rudder to give it a decent turning circle (this used to be an option- it may be standard these days) - and I think that the converse will also apply in that the A will probably be more directionally stable than the Revo unless you fit the Revo with the larger rudder but either way the Revo will probably hold a line much better than the OB. The OB is not much cop as a paddle boat - the Adventure is fine in this regard as (I understand) is the Revo - the option of being able to paddle is useful in case the Guano and the fan come together while you are out on the briny. Finally the OB is a bit of a beast compared with either of the newer boats - Turbo fins would allow you to properly appreciate the better glide and extra speed of either the A or the Revo. You'll be able to sail the Revo but the Adventure with the optional daggerboard and larger rudder will provide significantly better upwind sailing performance.

Hope this helps.

PS. In the above the Revo I am referring to is the Revo 13 - i.e. the longer of the 2 Revo models. I have not been on one of these but have gleaned info about its comparative merits and performance vs the A from information on this site. PPS. I have always fancied "doing" Kawau on my kayak but haven't got round to it yet... might have a chance round Easter - though I really want to go to Flat Rock chasing Kingfish!

Thanks for all your advice and words of wisdom guys. This is certainly a great forum. After reading all the above I have pretty much made up my mind to go with the Revolution. The tighter turning circle suits the fishing I do particularly in the mussel farms and when I'm jigging reefs, points and drop offs for trout. I may even have a crack at sailing at some stage, when we bought my wife's Sport second hand it came with a sail, which we haven't used yet.

Its just a matter of when I make the purchase now, I have been on the oh my gosh I'm getting old unfit and fat journey lately. Rising cholestrol and glucose levels were a kick in the butt and I have lost 13kilos in the past 7 months through careful eating and exercise, (I ride a bike to work which helps with the Hobie). I promised myself a new kayak when I had lost 20 kilos - not sure I can wait that long. I am also interested to know whether Hobie will be bringing any new mods out on next years models. So I'll have to procrastinate a little longer

Will be keeping the turbo fins and sailing rudder off my Outback when I sell it. I suggested to my wife that she may want to get a Revolution 11 but she is more than happy with her Sport and thinks this constant upgrading is a male madness, besides she would rather have a new kitchen

Once again thanks for all your time. Stobbo we will have to catch up at some stage for sure - we are off to Wellington at Easter to visit our daughter and her husband and number 1 grandson, the following weekend we are off to Okataina for some trout fishing with Shamus from Kayakpro in Whangarei - he may be interested in pursuing a Hobie dealership.

Love my Adventure, it handles great in the water and has storage room for everything. Never us my wife's Outback. Like the Revolution for it's ease in handling out of the water verses the Adventure. Sooner or later this easier handling and storage will win out, as I am getting older, and I will trade the Adventure for a Revolution.

_________________I'm right 98% of the time. The other 3% I don't worry about.

I have an Outback (2nd one) and an Adventure. A good friend has an Outback and a Revolution. One of the really nice things is when we fish, if it's just the two of use, we can borrow boats, so I've spent a lot of time in the Revolution.

He recently bought a 3rd boat, and didn't hesitate: another Outback. Granted, we fish coastal NC waters, so it's rarely open ocean, but I understand his point. It's a much more stable, dry ride.

Now I do love my Adventure, because it's faster, but that's the only reason I like it. And it's *some* faster, only. It's a hard item to quantify. The Revolution is just as wet as the Adventure, but I don't think as fast, and neither are laid out as well as the Outback with forward rod-holders, etc. (This might have changed with recent models, dunno).

If transport and storage are a concern I'd go with the Revolution if you want a change of pace from the Outback. Otherwise, why not go right to the Adventure, with the realization on many occasions you'll wish you were fishing the Outback. If I buy a 3rd boat it will be...an Outback.

I have an Outback (2nd one) and an Adventure. A good friend has an Outback and a Revolution. One of the really nice things is when we fish, if it's just the two of use, we can borrow boats, so I've spent a lot of time in the Revolution.

He recently bought a 3rd boat, and didn't hesitate: another Outback. Granted, we fish coastal NC waters, so it's rarely open ocean, but I understand his point. It's a much more stable, dry ride.

Now I do love my Adventure, because it's faster, but that's the only reason I like it. And it's *some* faster, only. It's a hard item to quantify. The Revolution is just as wet as the Adventure, but I don't think as fast, and neither are laid out as well as the Outback with forward rod-holders, etc. (This might have changed with recent models, dunno).

If transport and storage are a concern I'd go with the Revolution if you want a change of pace from the Outback. Otherwise, why not go right to the Adventure, with the realization on many occasions you'll wish you were fishing the Outback. If I buy a 3rd boat it will be...an Outback.

Interesting comments. For me, this years decision is made. I bought a Revo 13. I plan to buy one Hobie per year until we have three total. One will be a tandem. I never really considered the Outback, but now I think I will take a second look. A Revo13, Oasis, and an Outback may just prove to be a very diversified fleet.